06/26/2011

Curious about what ship breaking really looks like?

"Working for barely a dollar a day with little but their bare hands, the ship breakers of Bangladesh strip old ships in one of the world's most dangerous jobs"

Even though over 97% of these ships end up being recycled (which seems good, right?) ship breaking operations are an environmental nightmare; the 3% that isn't recycled includes asbestos, oil, and mercury, which ends up fouling the beaches where the operations take place.

In the video, a man who owns a ship breaking operation (a swank, in Nailer's world) tells the reporter that if international environmental regulations were observed in Bangladesh, ship breaking would screech to a halt. Thousands of workers would lose their jobs and have no way to support their families, and the country would have no source of steel for building or manufacturing. He also says that environmentalism is a luxury only rich people /countries have.

Do you think that's true?

Now that you've read Ship Breaker, what do you think about the fact that ship breaking operations actually exist in our world? So you think they should be shut down or that they provide a valuable service?